Sunflower transportation program an important one
Noting that it is a crucial service, the Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved a letter of support for Sunflower Diversified Services’ grant application to the Kansas Department of Transportation. This is for the public transportation system, said Christina Jimenez, Sunflower transportation coordinator.
Last year, Sunflower gave 46,515 rides, up from 44,000 the previous year, she said. These rides range from taking someone shopping or to work or to medical appointments.
They also spent $132,000 on fuel and over $26,000 on vehicle repairs, all within Barton County.
“This is a really important service to our community,” said District 5 Commissioner Jennifer Schartz. It is still great that there are grants available to make it happen since it all benefits local communities.
“It is really a win, win,” she said.
Dedication set in stone
Memorial Parks Advisory Committee member Mick Lang has been assured the fourth stone at the Golden Belt Veterans Memorial will be in place in time for the Veterans Day afternoon dedication.
The committee scheduled the dedication for 1:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11. They had hoped in would be installed this week, but now are being told it won’t be until early next week.
There will be a short program and the ceremony will include musical selections and the dedication, said County Works Director Darren Williams and Lang.
Williams said there are 332 names on the fourth stone, ranging from the Civil War to the present day.
This stone has fewer names, but the same number of lines as other stones, said Administrative Assistant Diana Watson, who coordinated the project. The other three stones each have about 335 names.
Everything is full now, but Williams said they may look into another stone in the future.
Facade grant extension OKed
The Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved a Facade Improvement Grant extension for McCord Property Management of Ellinwood.
At the Nov. 2, 2021, commission meeting, McCord Property Management was allocated $19,594 for façade improvements for the Historic Wolf Hotel, located at 1 N Main, Ellinwood, said Operations Director Matt Patzner. “Given the historic nature of the hotel, sourcing materials for the project has proven problematic.”
An extension to June 30, 2023, was OKed.
County renews health insurance
It could have been worse. That was the assessment given by Barton County Operations Director Matt Patzner as he addressed the County Commission Wednesday morning on the employee health insurance renewal.
Commissioners approved renewing the plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and use of Freedom Claims Management Inc. as the broker for 2023.
“Barton County received final renewal numbers from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Freedom Claims for the coverage that includes health, dental, prescription, and free telehealth access for employees through Teladoc,” Patzner said.
There is a 6.6% premium increase for employees, he said. The total paid to Freedoms Claims remains unchanged.
“That’s the best we could hope for,” Patzner said. A few years ago, the county switched to a partially self-funded plan, and this change has saved the county about $300,000 from the first of the year through September.
Travel to anti-drug forum approved
Realizing the potential for improving anti-drug efforts, the Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved an out-of-state travel request for county personnel to attend the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, Md., in early 2023.
Attending will be Tyler Morton, Juvenile Services, and Katelyn Sigler, Health Department.
In 2021, Juvenile Services received a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Drug-Free Communities Support program grant. A component of this grant includes training with the National Coalition Academy, working in partnership with the CADCA, said Juvenile Services Director Marissa Woodmansee. She believes this effort has the potential for long-range improvements for the county.
“The county will see benefits from this,” said District 4 Commissioner Jon Prescott. In addition to prevention efforts, it will develop local leaders.
County to purchase new computers
As part of a routine schedule, the Barton County Commission Wednesday morning approved the replacement of 44 computers and related equipment for $41,820.62 from Tech Focus of Marlborough, Mass. This comes to about 20-30% of the county’s computer inventory.
The county has developed a plan for the annual replacement of a certain number of computers, improving technological capabilities and allowing for more consistent budgeting, said Information Technology Director Dereck Hollingshead. Funding sources include the Clerk’s Tech Fund, Equipment Replacement, the General Fund, the Register of Deeds Tech Fund, the Inmate Fund, Law Enforcement Trust, Road and Bridge, Health and Corrections.
The Information Technology Department accepted bids through Vendor Registry for the needed equipment.
